Reflector button sign



June 19, 1934. w WELLS 1,963,728

REFLECTOR, BUTTON SIGN Filed 001?. 6, 1932 INVENTORI %sleg B. W'ells,

w g cmm H18 ATTORNEY Patented June '19 1934 Wesley B.

Application October 6,

Wells, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to The Union Switch & Signal Company, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania 1932, Serial No. 636,489 r Swissvale,

6 Claims. (01. 40-130 My invention relates to reflector button signs, that is, to signs which are adapted to be rendered visible at night by reflected light, and which employ as the reflecting medium small units or buttons capable of returning to the eye of an observer light falling on the buttons from the general direction of the observer.

Signs embodying my invention are particularly suitable for, although in no way limited to, use as road signs which are adapted to be rendered visible at night by the lamps of passing vehicles, for example, automobile head lights, so that the signs can be clearly read by the occupants of the vehicle.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a sign of the type described which is so constructed that the reflector buttons can be assembled into the sign and replaced when damaged with a minimum amount of effort.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sign of the type described in which those parts of the sign which are exposed to atmosphere can be painted in service without disassembling the reflector buttons and in as convenient a manner as possible.

A further object of my invention is to provide a sign of the type described which is generally of improved construction, and which will be cheap to manufacture and construct.

I will describe one form of sign embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevational view showing one form of sign embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional View takenon the line l'I-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line III-III of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of'the intermediate plate 9 forming part of the sign 'llustrated in the preceding views. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the reflector buttons 10 forming part of the sign illustrated in Fig. l.

. Similar reference characters refer tosimilar parts in each of the several views.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the sign in the form here illustrated comprises a front plate 1 and a back plate 2 secured together by means of bolts 3 and nuts 4. The back plate 2 is intended to be mounted on any suitable support in a well known manner, and for this purpose, it is provided with holes 5 through which suitable fastening devices may be passed. A rim 2 is formed on the back plate 2 by bending the edges of the plate forward at right angles tothe plane of the plate,

and this rim fits with some clearance within a similar rim 1 which is formed on the front plate 1 by bending the edges of this latter plate rearwardly at right angles to the plane of'the plate. The reason for providing clearance between the rims on the front and back plates will be made clear hereinafter. The front plate 1 may have formed thereon any desired letters, characters, or other sign elements, but, as here shown, it has formed thereon the word. Danger, the letters which comprise this word preferably being raised, or embossed, as shown, to make them stand out more clearly and to facilitate the painting of the sign, as'will be explained more fully hereinafter. The front plate 1 is also preferably provided with a raised border 6 which, together with the letters of the front plate, will usually be painted a color which contrasts with the,color. with which the balance of the plate is painted.

Extending through the front plate within the outlines of the letters are a plurality of holes '2 each of which is adapted to align with a similar hole 8 provided in an intermediate plate 9, which latter plate is secured to the back plate 2 in a fixed position by bending its edges rearwardly at right angles to form a rim 9*- which fits within and frictionally engages the rim 2 on the back plate 2. In order to facilitate the insertion of the rim on the intermediate plate within the rim on the back plate prior to forcing the intermediate plate in place during the assembly of the sign, the rim on the intermediate plate is curved inwardly at its inner end a slight amount as shown in Figs.2 and 3, and in order to facilitate intermediate plate from engagement with the back plate, the corners of the intermediate plate are cut away as shown in Fig. 4, these cut-away portions also providing clearance for the bolts 3 which fasten the front plate to the back plate secured to the back plate in the manner just described, it will be seen that the intermediate plate'will remain in place when the front plate is removed, and that when it is de-. sired to remove the intermediate plate from the sign after the front plate has been removed, it is only. necessary to grasp the intermediate plate at the cut-away portions provided at the corners and pull outwardly on the plate.

Mounted on the intermediate plate 9 in a manner which I willnow of reflector buttons 10, each of which. as here shown, comprises a cylindrical body of glass provided with a front end portion 1050f one diameter, and a rear end portion 10 having a somethe removal of the describe are a. plurality what larger diameter than the front end portion, an annular shoulder 10 being formed at the junction of the two end portions. The front end portion of each button, which portion constitutes the objective end of the button, is provided with a convex face, while the rear end portion is likewise provided with a convex face which is silvered so as to form a concave reflector surface, the silvered portion being protected by a suitable sealing and protective means 10 One reflector button is provided for each hole in the intermediate plate, and each button is disposed with its front end portion projecting through both the associated hole in the intermediate plate and the aligned hole in the front plate, and with its annular shoulder 10 in engagement with the rear face of the intermediate plate. The buttons are all held in place in the positions in which their shoulders engage the rear face of the intermediate plate by means of a single clamping plate 11 which is secured to the intermediate plate 10 by means of flat resilient strips 12. These strips engage the rear face of the clamping plate intermediate their ends and cooperate at their ends with suitable lugs 13 provided on the intermediate plate. The clamping plate 11, as here shown, consists of a channel-shaped piece of sheet metal having its inner surface lined by suitable lining means 14 which will yield sufficiently to allow for slight irregularities in the buttons, and which will not damage the buttons. As here shown, this lining means comprises two sheets of cork secured together and to the clamping plate by a suitable adhesive material, the inner sheet being pierced by a large number of small holes which form air pockets.

The lugs 13 with which the resilient strips 12 cooperate are formed by bending opposite portions of the rim 9 of the intermediate plate 9 inwardly as will be clearly apparent from an inspection of the drawing. The resilient strips are bowed slightly before they are assembled and in assembling them each strip is placed with one end in engagement with one lug 13 and with the apex of the bowed portion engaging the rear surface of the clamping member, and the other end portion is then bent sufficiently to allow it to be moved to the position where it engages the associated lug. In order to prevent the possibility of the strips being jarred out of place by vibration after they are assembled, the inner ends of the lugs 13 are curved inwardly from their sides toward their centers to form a central depression which receives the end of the associated strip as shown in Fig. 2.

In assembling the sign, the intermediate plate 9 is first placed in a suitable holder with its for- I ward face down, and the reflector buttons 10 are then dropped into place in the holes 8, the holes 8 being sufficiently large so that the buttons will not bind. It will be seen, therefore, that the but tons can be dropped into the holes very quickly. The clamping platell is next placed on top of the buttons with the lining 14 engaging the rear ends of the buttons, the sides of the clamping plate cooperating with the adjacent buttons to hold it in the proper longitudinal alignment. The strips 12 are then forced into place in the manner previously described, thus securing the intermediate plate 9 and the clamping plate 11 securely together, and hence fastening the reflector buttons to the intermediate plate. The intermediate plate with the reflector buttons secured thereto is next forced into place in the back plate, it being remembered that the rim on the intermediate plate is designed to fit within the rim on the back plate with sufficient friction to hold the intermediate plate in place. The front plate 1 is nextplaced over the intermediate and back plates, and is moved around until the holes therein align with and receive the projecting ends of the reflector buttons, the necessary movements of the front plate being permitted by the p eviously described clearance which is provided between its rim and the rim on the back plate. The bolts 3 are next placed through the front and back plates, and the nuts 4 are then tightened, thus securing all parts of the sign firmly in place.

It will be noted that the nuts 4 are in the form of a frustrum of a cone, and are disposed with their large ends toward the back plate, the only means for gripping the nuts being a groove 3 in their outer ends designed to receive a hollow screw driver. The reason for using nuts of this type is to make it difficult for unauthorized persons to tamper with the sign.

One advantage of a sign constructed in accordance with my invention is that since the majority of the parts are sheet metal they can be cut and pressed into shape without any expensive machining operations. Furthermore, the holes in the front and back plates can be formed by the same die in a single operation at a low cost, and the alignment of the holes is assured.

Another advantage of a sign embodying my invention is that all parts of the sign with the exception of the letters and border on the frontplate can be painted, during the process of manufacture, by dipping them in a vat of paint or spraying them with a spray gun; and since the letters and border on the front plate are embossed, they can be painted after the front plate has first been dipped or sprayed with the color which forms the background, by passing the front plate under a suitable paint roll in much the same manner as automobile license plates are painted.

Still another advantage of a sign embodying my invention is that the only parts of the sign which ever need to be repainted in service are the outer surfaces of the front andback plates. When it is desired to paint the front plate in service, it can be easily removed and taken where it is most convenient to paint it, without disturbing the remainder of the sign, and since the letters and border are embossed, they can be easily painted without the necessity for a skilled sign painter to lay out the letters. can easily be painted at any time without disturbing the sign.

A further advantage of a sign embodying my invention is that the construction lends itself to the use of reflector buttons of a type which can all be fastened in place by a single clamping plate, thus eliminating the necessity for individually fastening each button in place. This ,cuts down the cost of assembly, and permits a cheap type of button to be used. Furthermore, due to the manner in which the sign is constructed and the buttons are assembled, it if becomes necessary to replace any of the buttons in service, this can be done quickly and with a minimum amount of effort.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of reflector button signs embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

The back plate Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A sign of the reflecting type comprising a back plate provided with a mm, a front plate provided with a rim adapted to fit over the rim on said back plate with some clearance, said front plate being provided on its outer face with sign characters and having a plurality of holes extending therethrough at said sign characters, an intermediate plate between said front and back plates having a rim which fits inside of and frictionally engages the rim on said back plate in a manner to secure said intermediate plate to said back plate, said intermediate plate being provided with holes which align with the holes in said front plate, a plurality of reflector buttons secured to said intermediate plate and having their forward ends projecting through the aligned holes in said intermediate and front plates, and means for securing said front and back plates together.

2. A sign comprising a front plate and a back plate each having their edges bent at right angles to form a rim, said front plate being formed with an integral raised border and with integral raised characters which are pierced with holes, means for fastening said two plates together in such manner that the rim on the back plate fits within the rim onthe front plate, an intermediate plate having its edges bent at right angles to form a rim which fits within and frictionally engages the rim on the back plate, said inner plate being provided with holes which align with the holes in said front plate, and a plurality of reflector buttons attached to said intermediate plate and each projecting through one of the holes in said intermediate plate and the hole in said front plate which aligns with such one hole, the raised border and character of said front plate beingpainted a different "and contrasting color from the balance of said front plate.

- 3. A sign comprising a back plate and a front plate secured together in spaced relation, said front plate having formed thereon a sign character and being provided with a plurality of holes which extend therethrough at said character, a third plate held between said front and back plates and provided with a plurality of holes each of which align with one of the holes in said front plate, said third plate also being provided at its opposite sides with two aligned rearwardly and inwardly extending lugs the inner ends of which are formed with a central depression, a plurality of reflector buttons each disposed with its forward end projecting through one of the holes in said third plate and the corresponding hole in said front plate, and each formed with a shoulder which engages the rear face of said third plate, a clamping plate for holding said buttons in place in said holes having secured to its forward face a yieldable substance which prevents damage to said buttons. and means for securing said clamping plate in the proper position to hold said buttons in place comprising a resilient strip having its central portion engaging the rear face of said clamping plate and its ends fitting in the central depressions in said lugs.

such diameter that it will 4. A sign comprising a back plate provided with a rim, a front plate provided with a rim which fits over the rim in said back plate and. with a plurality of holes arranged to' form a sign character, an intermediate plate provided with a rim which frictionally engages the rim on the back plate, said intermediate plate being provided with holes which align with the holes in said front plate, a plurality of reflector buttons each comprising a front end portion of fit with some clearance in the holes -m said front and intermediate plates and a rear end portion of somewhat larger diameter than the front end portion, an annular shoulder being formed at the junction of the front and rear end portions of each button and each button being disposed with-its front end portion extending through one of the holes in the intermediate plate and the aligned hole in the front plate and with its shoulder engaging the rear face of the intermediate plate, two lugs formed opposite each other on said intermediate plate by bending portions of the rim of said intermediate plate inwardly, a clamping plate engaging the rear ends of all of said buttons, and a resilient strip having its ends engaging the forward faces of said lugs and its intermediate portion engaging the rear face of said clamping plate.

5. A sign comprising a back plate and a front.

plate secured together in spaced relation, said front plate having formed thereon a sign character and being provided with a plurality of holes which extend therethrough at said character, an intermediate plate held between said back plate and said front plate and provided with holes which alignwith the holes in said front plate, a plurality of reflector buttons each disposed with its forward end projecting through one of the holes in said intermediate plate and the corresponding hole in said front plate, and each formed with a shoulder which engages the rear face of said intermediate plate, and means resiliently secured to said intermediate plate and engaging the rear ends of said buttons to secure said buttons to said intermediate plate.

6. A sign comprising a back plate and a front plate secured together in spaced relation, said front plate having formed thereon a sign character and being providedwith a plurality of holes which extend therethrough at said character, an intermediate plate held between said back plate and said front plate and provided with holes which align with the holes in said front plate, a plurality of reflector buttons each disposed with its forward end projecting through one of the holes in said intermediate plate and the corresponding hole in said front plate, and each formed with a shoulder which engages the rear face of said intermediate plate, clamping means resiliently secured to said intermediate plate back of said buttons to secure said buttons to said intermediate plate, and yieldable lining means interposed between said buttons and said clamping means to allow for slight irregularities in the buttons and to prevent damage to the buttons by the clamping means.

WESLEY B. WELLS. 

